Grand Finale
by ChoFrog09
Summary: Violet has just vanished at the Regal Washington Theater! Isadora is now in a race against time to find her. The building is destined for demolition in three days, and a sinister caller says Violet will go down with it! DISCONTINUED
1. Prelude: Letter to Duncan

**A/N: **I was bored...

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own ASoUE and all of the characters. And pigs can fly and John is hot and my name is Cho Chang and Smaug the furry giraffe kitty loves pretty fluffy unicorns. (If you don't get it yet, I do NOT own ASoUE)

**Prelude**

**Letter**

Dear Duncan:

Violet and I have just arrived at our hotel. Tomorrow we get to see _Fade Away _starring Kent James. Don't let Klaus read this but, Violet and I both think he is so hot!

The film is premiering in the Regal Washington Theatre. Did you know that in the 1920's some of the world's most famous magicians, including Harry Houdini, performed there? I wish I could have seen a live performance!

Apparently, the hundred-year-old theatre is scheduled for demolition in only three days! I guess the curtain is closing soon for this theatre. Also, an organization who call themselves the S.T.E.P.O.F.F are going to hold a protest outside the theatre the day of the demolition in hopes that they will preserve the old treasure, maybe even make it a landmark.

The man who runs the theatre is letting the leader of S.T.E.P.O.F.F use his lobby as a headquarters. I guess we'll find out more about that later.

Anyway, Violet has taken after you and your reporting. Ever since they started a newspaper at Prufrock Prep and you and Violet got your press passes, she hasn't passed up a single chance of reporting. Before the premiere she is going to interview Kent, so they'll let us in early. Boy, Violet's press pass comes in handy sometimes. I'll be sure to tell you if anything interesting happens. Miss you, (and Klaus, and Sunny).

Love Your Sister,

Isadora Q.

* * *

I know it's short. It's a prelude. The next chapter will definitely be longer. REVIEW PLEASE! 


	2. Chapter 1: Kidnap

**A/N: **I hope Chapter one wasn't _too _boring. I just had to inform you of everything.

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own ASoUE and all the characters. And mutant tree frogs will rule the earth and Ciara is a boy and the sky is a shade of bright purple and politicians are honest.

**Day One**

**Part One**

"Wish me luck!" Violet said to me. I smiled and gave her a thumbs-up. We were both standing outside the door to the men's dressing room inside the Regal Washington Theatre.

Violet was clutching her sea blue common-place notebook (given to her by me when she got her press pass) tightly in her hands as if at any moment it might sprout wings and fly away. She had positioned a sea blue pen (given to her by Duncan when they got their press passes) right behind her ear. She took one hand off her commonplace book and reached out to knock. "Let's hope there's a story behind this door," she said as she tapped her fist up against the wood.

"Come in!" said a barely audible voice. Violet pushed open the door.

"Go get 'em Violet!" I said, smiling. Violet smiled back

"I'll meet you in the when the interview is over, Isadora" she said. I nodded. She turned to the door again. "Wish me luck!" she said as she disappeared behind it. _'I think I'll go check out the snacks' _I thought, and began to walk in the direction of the lobby.

But something made me stop dead in my tracks. I heard a scream. An ugly, ear piercing scream that sent a horrible tingling sensation up and down my spine. It screamed again. Then an awful realization struck me.

"Oh my god! That's Violet!" I yelled, then sped back over to the men's dressing room door, twisting and turning the handle.

It was locked. The screams continued, but then began to fade.

"HELP! Isadora! Izzy! Let of me you ga...!" Violet screamed as her voice faded. I stepped back from the door, and positioned myself into backstance.

"KIA! (pronounced E-I like the letters)!" I yelled as I planted a kick right on the center of the door. I fell to the ground. _'And I thought taking a one week Shotokan class with Duncan and Quigley wouldn't have paid off'' _I thought. Well, there was no time to lose! I had to find Violet! I began searching to room, but before I could do much, the phone rang. I ran, stumbling a bit over everything junking up the floor, and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" I asked frantically. "Hello?"

"Listen you, if they tear down the theater, the girl goes with it," a horrible sounding voice answered. It was too ghastly to be human.

"What? Who is this?" I demanded. No answer. "Hello? HELLO!" I slammed the phone back into the receiver, and stumbled back over to the south side of the room, the one I had previously been searching. The moment I got there the phone rang again. I darted back over to the phone.

"Hello?" asked a voice.

"Listen you," I snarled. "Whatever you're doing, you've got the

wrong girl. She's a reporter, and I'm a detective, and we don't scare easy." I had lied. Not about being a detective (I had been doing some detective work hadn't I?) but about not scaring easy. I was terrified, and I'd take a lucky guess that Violet was petrified as well at the moment.

"Um...I beg your pardon? This is James Connor, the caretaker. I was calling for Kent James. Who's this? And what's all the fuss about?" the James asked, confused. I instantly blushed a deep red (but he couldn't see). This was definitely a different person.

"My name is Isadora. My friend, Violet, was just kidnapped. I was out in the hall when I heard her scream. I don't know where they could have taken her!" I told him. He seemed to not believe me.

"What makes you think she was kidnapped?" James asked.

"I received a threatening phone call from the kidnapper. He said if they tear down the theater Violet goes down with it!" I said, getting more and more worried by the second. Violet was getting farther and farther away by the second. When James spoke again I was shook from my current thoughts.

"They must've taken her through the secret passage. Holy smokes! And you're on an inside line! The kidnapper must've called from inside the building. I'll make sure all the exits are locked up tight. You search the room for the secret passage, and I'll some find you" he said, then he hung up. I put down the phone then I heard the door open.

"Hey you!" I whipped around. "No groupies in the dressing rooms. But since you're such a rascally fan, how about an autograph from yours truly, Kent James," Kent said.

"I'm not here for an autograph," I said coldly. "My friend has been kidnapped!"

"Kidnapped? Maybe you had had better tell me what is going on."

"I don't have time to explain!" I yelled. "The kidnapper may still be in the building! I need to search this room. Do you mind?"

"Not at all," he said. "What can I do to help?"

"The caretaker was looking for you," I responded. "Maybe you should go help him."

"Roger," he said, and just like that he was out the door. I continued to search the room. First I went and checked the wardrobe. I really couldn't find anything in particular that could be put to good use. I only found a baton, which I decided to stick in my pocket. Then I decided to search the walls. I put my ear against the wall and, knocking every so often, walked along it. I went without any findings until-OW! I removed my now bruised head from the wall and looked at what I had run into. A portrait. A portrait of a laughing guy. An _opened_ portrait of a laughing guy. Hidden behind the picture, was a lever that I pulled. I heard a _squeeeeeak!_ Behind me and saw in the wall a newly opened door. How convenient! I rushed to the other side of the room and leaped through the door.

It led to a long, narrow, dirty, grimy, passageway. The walls had mold growing all over it and the few mold-free spots were littered with graffiti. I wrapped my arms around me and shivered. I would _hate _being dragged through here. I averted my gaze to the damp floor so I wouldn't have to sicken myself looking at the moldy walls. I continued to stare at the sodden dirty floor until-OW! I looked up and rubbed my already bruised head. I had bumped into another door. I took hold of the rusty handle and pulled. It swung open.

I stepped inside, and seemed to be in a wardrobe. There were shirts and dresses hanging from the ceiling anyway. I pushed open the door of the wardrobe and stepped into the room.

"I may have to cut this short Hal, a girl just climbed out of my wardrobe," said a voice behind me. I turned around to see a woman sitting with crossed legs in a chair, her cell phone glued to her ear. "Can't you see I'm on the _phone _here?" she asked.

"But this is an emergency!" I yelled. "I'm looking for a fourteen-year-old girl with black hair last seen tied up in a ribbon and-" the woman cut me off.

"Look sweetheart: I have a premiere tonight and no stylist for my star, so don't tell me about problems," she said rolling her eyes.

"But this is an emergency!" I screamed.

"I said, scram!" she said, and then stuck her phone back on her ear. _'No use talking to her anymore'_ I thought, and headed for the door, which led to a long hallway. Fortunately, this hallway was mold free and had a very nicely red carpeted floor. At the end of this hallway there was no wardrobe, only a very intricately carved stone archway. A curtain hung from the top.

"OW!" I yelped. Something had fallen on my doubly bruised head. I looked at the ground. A shiny sliver quarter lay there. _'Pennies from heaven'_ I thought, picked it up, stuck it in my pocket, and walked into the lobby.

"No teenyboppers 'till showtime. House rules," A voice from behind me said. I turned to face it.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked.

"Aren't you here to worship at the screen of Kent James?" he asked.

"I'm here to see the premiere, that doesn't make me a worshiper," I responded. "Who are you? Kent's surly understudy?"

"Actually, I'm Brady Flacon. Dedicated leader of S.T.E.P.O.F.F. Who are you? And what's with the doom and gloom?" he asked.

"I'm Isadora Quagmire. I think I need to call the police," I responded.

"Why?" he asked. "A little taste of your tax dollars going bad?"

"Well you're a breath of optimism," I said, rolling my eyes. "My friend was kidnapped."

"I'll try to stay out of your way then," Brady said. "There's an outside line in the phone booth."

"Thanks," I said. "A lot." Then I headed for the ticket booth. I discovered the phone sitting in a corner. Hurriedly, I picked it up and dialed 911. "Come on, come on..." I muttered to myself.

"St. Louis police department," the voice on the other line said.

"I'm calling to report a kidnapping," I stated firmly.

"Is the kidnapping in progress?"

"No..." I responded, losing my confidence.

"Hold on Miss, I'll transfer you to missing persons unit."

"Hello?" I asked. I was answered. "The Regal Washington...No, but I heard it...she was interviewing Kent James for our school newspaper...no... I have to wait twenty-four hours until you'll investigate! Sir, I don't think we can take that chance...okay...I'll call you when I have evidence...bye." I hung up. They wouldn't investigate until tomorrow if I didn't show them evidence she was kidnapped. I got up from my chair and ran from the ticket booth. If I had to find Violet myself, I was going to find Violet myself. I had to find her before the building was demolished, and that meant I had to start right at that moment.

* * *

If you want to know what Violet said about the kidnapper ("Let go of me you ga..."), I'm sorry. Maybe I will instruct someone to send an anonymous review with her exact quote. You could look for that. To bubblesrule 1, I know you liked this Nancy Drew game the best. Should I kill Isadora? (You know, the electric gate/the falling lamp) Nah, that's evil. The _Yak Be Nimble_ stole the magic carrot! MWAHAHAHAHAHA! (You are probably the only one who knows what I'm talking about.)

_-Everything we say_

_We interpret the wrong way-_


	3. Chapter 2: Evidence

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own ASoUE and all of the characters. And Daniel Radcliff is a good actor and Britney Spears is a good singer and my parents were proud of my report card and Ned likes Suzanna and not me. (Yeah right. Oh man, Suzi is going to kill me...)

**Day One**

**Part Two**

I wandered the halls. There had just _got _to be some evidence somewhere. OW! I rubbed my head. I had just absentmindedly bumped into the wall right next to the archway leading to the lobby. _'Note to self' _I thought, _'Watch where you're going'_. I actually went _through_ the curtain this time, and stood in the middle of the lobby. Brady was gone. There were staircases that led up to something that looked like a small balcony. I began trudging up the stairs. At the top there was a pair of oriental doors, which I pushed open.

Behind the double doors was an arrangement of balcony seats. I leaned out over the edge of the balcony, peering at the innumerable amount of theatre seats below. I sighed. Then there was a small glint of light and something caught my eye. There seemed to be a golden gear sitting in the light cradle just below the side of the balcony. I reached out my hand to try to get it.

"I can't...quite...reach," I gasped. Then I retired to staring at the seats below. Then something else caught me eye. There was a pink blob stuck on one of the seats. I took my hand off the "railing" of the balcony and put it on my hip. That gave me an idea.

I pounded down the stairs and swung around the end of the railing. I burst through the doors to the auditorium and sped down the center isle. I came to a sudden halt in front of the "bubble gum chair". "Oh...ick, ick, ick, ick, ick..." I muttered as I closed my eyes and reached for the pink blob. I ripped it off the seat and ran back up to my previous spot on the balcony.

I then pulled the baton out of my pocket. I then squashed the bubble gum onto one end of the baton. I turned back towards the edge of the balcony, and leaned over the edge. I saw the golden gear and carefully, so as not to drop the baton, I dangled the baton over the edge until it made contact with the gear. I pulled the baton up, the gear stuck to the end. "This will definitely come in handy," I said, sticking the gear in my pocket. I left the balcony seat area. As I was going down the stairs to the lobby, someone called my name.

"Isadora!" it called. I saw James waving to me on the opposite set of steps.

"Oh. Hello James," I said, continuing my route down into the lobby. He met me down there.

"I have something to report," he said proudly.

"What? What did you find?" I asked eagerly.

"I found another secret passage backstage," he said quietly. "It's opened, but I didn't go down. I thought it would be something you might want to investigate."

"Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you," I said quickly, then headed for the auditorium, then backstage. Once there I saw a hole in the floor. When I looked closer, I saw there was a path of stone steps leading into some sort of "underground passageway". I hopped down the stairs and through a chain-link gate into some sort of basement. I looked ahead and the first thing I saw was a box. A box with a silver gear with a handle, and an empty space next to that. I knew exactly what to do. I knelt down on the floor in front of the box and pulled the gear out of my pocket and placed it in the empty space in the lid of the box. I turned the handle on the silver gear, and the box popped open.

Inside I found a rusty old key. Wow, it's _soooo_ amazing (not). But it was what was under that that intrigued me. There were a number of documents that described a bet that a certain J.J. Armstrong had made with Harry Houdini. J.J. said he would pay 50,000 to Houdini if he could perform a certain trick. Apparently J.J. had thought the trick was impossible.

But Houdini did it.

And Armstrong didn't have the reward money.

He had to give Houdini 50 per cent of the theater instead. I _had _to tell this to James. _'But first,' _I thought. _'I have to check out the rest of the basement_'. So I meandered over to the opposite end of the basement. There in front of me was a sort of box in the wall. Above it was a sign that read.

**The Amazing Monty Magician Card Game**

In big fancy letters. I saw a button the read "play" and then pressed. Immediately I regretted it.

"Ladies and gentleman! Step right up!" a recorded voice exclaimed. A light went on in the back of the little box and a wobbling wooden dummy was visible. I looked down at its hands.

"Find the Ace of Spades!" it exclaimed, holding up that card. Then he put it back face down.

"Ooookaaay..." I said, a bit uneasily.

"The hand is quicker than the eye!" he said, and then rearranged all of the cards. _'Well that was expected'_ I thought. It was _so _obvious which one was the Ace. I pressed the flashing white button underneath the correct card.

"A lucky guess!" the dummy exclaimed. "You have beaten the magician!" A small purple capsule rolled out into a small dish attached to the machine, meant for holding the prize. I quickly grabbed it and instantly pressed the play button again. What? The dude was funny!

"Ladies and g-g-entle mon! Steeeeeep rooooooo..." The dummy completely malfunctioned. One of its eyelid went down, leaving the other eye open, its hat went crooked, then the head spud around, springs flying from it, and lay lopsided on the neck it mouth wide open.

"Whoops," I said, then scurried upstairs. As I was walking down the hall, a voiced suddenly came over the loud speaker. At first I jumped, but then I recognized the voice as James'.

"Isadora," he said. "Come up to the projection room. There's something you might wanna see." I dashed down the remainder of the hall, up the stairs, and through the center door.

"Yeah, James?" I asked, hopping up and down.

"Here Isadora. Kent found this," he said, holding something out to me. When I saw it I could only gape.

Maybe I should tell you and maybe I shouldn't. Maybe you will read on and maybe you won't

Sorry for the sudden stop at such an exciting part. My mother expected me to clean my room. It is such a dump! Well, anyway, where was I? Hmm...let me see. She grabbed the capsule and instantly pressed the "play" button again? No, no, it wasn't that...She panicked and started banging anything, everything, that could possibly open a passage? No...that hasn't happened yet...AH! Here we are!

When I saw it I could only gape. I picked it up out of his hands.

"Oh my gosh! Where on earth did Kent find it?" I asked.

"He didn't say," James answered. "He just said he found it and that you might find it of some use."

"Oh thank you!" I said, clutching Violet's hair ribbon even tighter. "I hope the police consider this evidence enough!"

"They'd better!" James exclaimed. "There's an outside line in the ticket booth."

"Thanks, I knew," I said, then practically leaped down the stairs and into the ticket booth. Quickly, I dialed 911 with my right hand, holding Violet's ribbon in my left, and then held the phone with my right hand.

"Police," said the voice on the other end of the line.

"Missing Persons Unit please," I said, barely able to contain my excitement.

'Please hold," the man said. I began to shake.

"Hello, this is Sergeant Volpe speaking," said a voice, completely different from the first. It was the man I had talked to before.

"Hello, this is Isadora. I have the evidence you asked for!" I said.

"What is this evidence?" Sergeant Volpe asked, his tone very stern. I held the hair ribbon out for the phone to see. (The only problem was that the phone could not see.)

"Her hair ribbon! It must have been torn out when she was kidnapped!" I yelled excitedly.

"Or it just fell out. Or she just took it out."

"Sergeant, Violet would _never_ leave her hair ribbon behind!" I yelled, worriedly this time.

"I'm sorry Miss Quagmire, but we cannot come to check anything out until there is for sure evidence that your friend Violet Baudelaire was kidnapped. Good night Miss Quagmire," he said.

"Good night," I said defeated. I set the phone back down into the receiver. Then, head hung, I trudged out of the ticket booth.

"Hello there Isadora," said someone. I lifted my head to see James standing in front of me. "Why don't you go your hotel and get some rest. I'll keep an eye on things until tomorrow."

"Oh, just when I have a lead like this?" I whined. I once again hung my head in defeat. "Very well. I guess I _am _exhausted..."

"Good night Isadora," he said, then ushered me out of the theater.

I sighed as I stared out the window of the train on the way back to our hotel. Actually, Violet wouldn't be staying there anymore, so guess it was just mine. Suddenly I jerked my head up. Duncan, Klaus, and Sunny! None of them knew what had happened to Violet! I quickly pulled out a piece of paper and pen from my back pack and began to write.

_Dear Duncan:_

_Make sure Klaus and Sunny read this too. Something terrible has happened at the theatre. _

_Violet and I were backstage. We were talking and then Violet went into the dressing room, telling me she'd meet me in the lobby. But as soon as I turned to go to the lobby I heard a scream. It was Violet! I ran into the dressing room but as soon as I got there she was gone! I don't know where they could have taken her!_

_I got a really creepy phone call from the kidnapper saying that if the building is demolished, Violet will go down with it!_

_The police won't investigate before 24 hours unless I give them evidence. I found her hair ribbon. But that's not enough evidence. Sergeant Volpe thinks she might have just dropped it/taken it out. Both you and I know that Violet would never willingly leave her ribbon behind. _

_I can only hope I find her before the demolition. I thought you'd want to know what had happened to your sister/crush (Duncan, don't hurt me). Let's hope I can find her._

_Your Sister/Friend,_

_Isadora Q._

I folded the letter and sealed it into an envelope. The train stopped a block away from her hotel, and I stuffed the envelope into her back pack and hopped off of the train. Once inside the hotel doors, I dropped the addressed envelope into the public mailbox in the lobby and walked up the stairs to the room Violet and I were supposed to share

I turned out the light and looked across the room at the empty bed next to me.

"I have to find you Violet," I said to myself as I turned out the light. Then I fell asleep.

* * *

SO? DO YOU LIKE? From now on I will put a short poem/quote at the end of each chapter. Bubblesrule 1 will know what they mean.

_-Yak be nimble_

_Yak be quick_

_Yak jump over_

_The magical carrot-_


	4. Chapter 3: News

**A/N: **YAY! I finally got some reviews! Now to respond!

**Spygal: **You can go ahead and have your opinion, but I think he isn't that great...DON'T KILL ME!

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own ASoUE and all the characters. And I got a good grade on my math test and Stephanie is sane and Sammy shouldn't be stalked and I like rap.

**Day Two**

**Part One**

_At Prufrock_

"Any fours?"

"Gefish. Bente?"

"Don't go fish. I'm sick of this," Duncan said throwing down his cards. Klaus was sitting on a bale of hay across from Duncan, Sunny on his lap. The three of them were sitting inside the Orphans' Shack during the brief recess between their last class and Nero's violin concert (which all three absolutely loathed) and were bored out of their minds. Duncan, who had been staring absentmindedly at the wall, turned toward Klaus.

"They were supposed to be back today you know," he said quietly. Klaus, who had been absentmindedly staring at the floor, looked up.

"I know," he said.

"Don't you feel worried?" Duncan asked.

"No, not really," Klaus said. "I mean, Violet's out there to give an interview, and then she and Isadora are just going to watch a movie. What could possibly happen?"

Suddenly there was a knock at the door. All three snapped there heads to look at the door. There was some inaudible muttering, and then a voice, that was unmistakably Nero's, sounded.

"You orphans have a letter! I'd be wasting my time telling you who it's from! As a genius I have much more important things to do..." And then they heard footsteps as he walked away. A letter had been slipped under the door. Sunny crawled over and picked it up with her teeth.

"Wetta!" she shrieked, and dropped the letter in Duncan's lap. He flipped it over and looked at the return address.

"It's from Isadora!" he cried, then ripped open the envelope.

_Dear Duncan: _

_Make sure Klaus and Sunny_ _read this too. Something terrible has happened at the theatre._

"Klaus, Sunny, you'd better read this too," Duncan said, not taking his eyes off the paper.

"Unintel!" Sunny shrieked, which meant something along the lines of, "I can't read yet though!"

"Don't worry Sunny, I'll read it aloud," Duncan said as Klaus crossed the shack to sit next to Duncan in order to read the letter.

_Violet and I were backstage. We were talking and then Violet went into the dressing room, telling me she'd meet me in the lobby. But as soon as I turned to go to the lobby I heard a scream. It was Violet! I ran into the dressing room but as soon as I got there she was gone! I don't know where they could have taken her!_

_I got a really creepy phone call from the kidnapper saying that if the building is demolished, Violet will go down with it!_

"Oh no..." Klaus whispered. His voice was shaking.

"Vidy..." Sunny whispered, then put her face on Klaus's shoulder, tears beginning to leak from her eyes. Duncan continued to read.

_The police won't investigate before 24 hours unless I give them evidence. I found her hair ribbon. But that's not enough evidence. Sergeant Volpe thinks she might have just dropped it/taken it out. Both you and I know that Violet would never willingly leave her ribbon behind._

"They found here ribbon? And the police still won't investigate?" Klaus asked shocked.

"I guess not," I said. This was just unbelievable.

_I can only hope I find her before the demolition. I thought you'd want to know what had happened to your sister/crush (Duncan, don't hurt me). Let's hope I can find her._

_Your Sister/Friend,_

_Isadora Q._

I heard a snicker. I looked behind me to see Klaus, battling to regain his composure.

"I know this isn't the time to laugh but..." Klaus said, fighting back laughs. "But... 'sister/crush?'"

"Klaus..." I began, but he cut me off.

"It was just sooo obvious!" Klaus said. Sunny then cut _him _off.

"Klaus! Notimlaf!" which meant something like, "Klaus! This is no time to laugh! Our sister is in grave danger!" Klaus's laughs instantly faded.

"Sorry, Sunny. You're right," he said and then turned to face Duncan. "You were right to worry, Duncan," he said. "Very right indeed,"

* * *

CHAPTER THREE! YAY! I wanted to get Klaus, Sunny, and Duncan in here. It IS their sister/crush after all. By the way, I'm a Violet/Quigley person. Duncan likes Violet, but he's hopeless.

"_It's not working! It's not working!"_

_-Nancy Drew_


	5. Chapter 4: Interrogations

**A/N: **Sorry this is a little late. I've been pretty preoccupied, now that school is back. Mrs. G is giving us tons on this extremely complicated book called _The Time Machine_. I'll try to get my chappies up ASAP! Bear with me here please:)

Disclaimer: Yeah, I own ASoUE and all the characters. And Illini won the game and my Stephanie is sane and milkshakes are made of scrambled eggs and my computer will explode in 5...4...3...2...1...

**Day Two**

**Part Two**

_At The Regal Washington Theatre_

I walked into the theatre. There had been a huge mob outside protesting. It was a nightmare trying to get through that crowd. Once inside, I wished I had never come in. There in front of me was the worst sight I had seen since the sight of the charred remains of my home. There in front of me was a funeral wreath. I took the note off and grimaced. I opened the note and read it.

_Planning a funeral_

_Is such a dreadful pain..._

_Wouldn't you rather_

_Just cancel the demolition?_

It sickened me. Violet was now is much more danger than I could have imagined. Everyone I had met so far was definitely a suspect.

No exceptions.

I had to go and question _everyone._ The first person to talk to was James. I hastened up the stairs to the projection room. I reached out to open the door, but just as I was about to turn the handle, I noticed something tacked to the door. It read;

**MISSING**

**Name: Violet Baudelaire**

**Age: 14**

**Gender: Female**

**Appearance: Shoulder length dark brown/black hair, commonly tied up in a ribbon. Last seen wearing a black dress with puffed/netted sleeves.**

**Accessories: Last seen with a black hair ribbon and a press pass.**

Below was a picture of Violet, and even below that, was a picture of Kent. I read the paragraph next to Kent's photo and my stomach was instantly sick. This "Missing" poster was just promoting Kent as the big hero. I glared at the poster, as if Kent could actually see my sour face, then continued on my way into the projection booth.

"James?" I asked, looking around.

"I'm here!" called a voice. James wheeled out from under the projector. He was lying on his back on a skateboard. Apparently he had been trying to fix something with the projector's inner workings.

"Oh!" Isadora yelped, jumping backwards, completely surprised.

"I'm sorry you had to see that funeral wreath, Isadora," James said, standing up. "It's disgusting."

"I'm afraid Violet may be in some real danger now," I said nervously. James tried to comfort me.

"I'm sure we'll find 'er Isadora. You just wait," he said, offering a small smile. I smiled back. "Have you seen those missing posters?" he asked me.

"Sure did."

"Can you believe how they used that poster to promote Kent as the big hero?" he asked incredulously.

"No I can't!" I yelled back. "I mean, Violet's the one who's in danger here!"

"We'll find her though, Isadora," James said reassuringly. Isadora smiled once again.

"I have to go question everyone now," I said.

"Don't let the turkeys get you down!" he said, then wheeled himself back under the projector. I went back down to the lobby, of course, to question Brady. Before I could get one word out of my mouth, he began to talk.

"Isadora!" he exclaimed. "Wait 'till you hear this!"

"What?"

"I did some research on the laptop in my van, and I got the phone number of the widow of Houdini's cousin! Eustacia Andropov, I think."

"So you saw those documents too?" I asked.

"Sure did! I wrote her phone number down. It's in the ticket booth," he said.

"I'll call her right away!" I said excitedly, and ran for the ticket booth door, my shoulder length straight brown hair flying wildly behind me.

Once inside I searched the desktops for the number. Eventually, I found it written on a post-it, and hurriedly picked up the phone and dialed.

"Hello?" said an extremely annoyed, slurred voice.

"Umm...This is Isadora Quagmire. I-I was wondering if you could give me some information about Harry Houdini," I said, nervously. "You're Houdini's cousin's widow...right?"

"Yes. But Houdini is dead. And my husband is dead." Eustacia said.

"Um...yes. I was wondering if you knew what happened to the half of the theatre that Houdini inherited. I'm doing some research over here at the Regal Washington."

"Oh, yes...wait...no," Eustacia began. "I don't know what happened to Harry's half. But I do know who knows. I could give them a call, and they'll send you a package containing the information you'll need," Eustacia said.

"Thanks Eustacia, you've been a big help," I said, smiling to myself.

"Save it for my funeral," Eustacia said, and I heard her slam the phone into the receiver. I removed the phone from my ear and set it down, then exited the ticket booth to inform Brady of what I had learned.

"Did you call? What's the story?" he asked instantly.

"Keep your eyes open for a special delivery!" I proclaimed.

"You're cooler than I thought, Isadora," he said as I was turning my back. I turned to face him once more.

"And you're smarter than I thought," I said, smiling, and then turned once to wander the halls.

Once in the halls, it hit me. I still hadn't questioned that woman whose life was apparently the phone. I broke into a run and when I finally found the door to the women's dressing room, burst through the door. The woman, amazingly, set down her phone and turned to me.

"Sorry I couldn't correctly introduce myself last time." she said. "I'm Simone Muellar," Simone Muellar said, and held out her hand to me.

"Hello," I said tentatively, shaking her hand.

"Now don't worry," she continued, "Your friend will be fine, we canceled the premiere. Kent's out pasting those missing posters all over town." I instantly felt anger rising inside me.

"Those posters were just a big advertisement for Kent," I snarled through clenched teeth.

"Oh, hunny, it's just for the cameras. Go along with it!" she said cheerfully. Now I was livid.

"I'd rather be crushed by an elevator," I growled.

"Ooh! Hunny, you've got spunk! Ever think about acting? We'd have to think of a stage name though. Isadora Quagmire is _so _utterly forgettable," Simone said, now going off on another subject.

"Okay fine. It's only a girl's life that's in danger," I yelled after her, as she continued her incoherent mumbling. Now, to question "Mr. Big Hero". Once inside the men's dressing room, I found Kent leaning on the wall, reading a magazine. He looked up, saw me, set down his magazine, and folded his arms. I set my face and walked right up to him. He was only taller by about three inches, so I could easily look menacing.

"Hey Isadora!" he said. "Did you see the missing posters?"

"Yeah, I did," I snarled. "And it's all just a big advertisement for you, Kent."

"This is all Simone. I'm just a victim on her runaway train," Kent said, but I didn't let him explain anything more.

"Oh really?" I said, folding my arms. "I don't see any gun to your head."

"It's a lot more confusing than you think, Isadora," he said. I guess that softened me up a bit, and I decided to change the subject.

"So where'd you find Violet's hair ribbon?" I asked. This caught him off guard.

"Uhh...it was the basement! I mean...the balcony! Yeah, it was the balcony." I raised an eyebrow. Wow, that was _so_ convincing (I'm being sarcastic).

"Oh, it really doesn't matter," I snarled. "It's just an innocent girl's life we're talking about here. Now I'm asking everyone: Where were you when the kidnapping took place?" He looked extremely nervous.

"I was late getting back from a haircut. I-I...This is really hard for me. I think my hairline may be receding! Simone's going to go through the roof!" Kent said, sadly. He absentmindedly started jabbering away to himself about him and his hair. I rolled my eyes and left him there to talk to himself.

As I meandered through the halls, I heard something in one of the rooms. Talking, it seemed. Lots and lots of talking. I decided this would be a good time to stop and eavesdrop. I pressed my ear to the door, and listened intently.

* * *

OOO! I'm so evil, stopping right at this crucial part! Stay tuned and review to find out what all those people in the room are talking about. And also...REVIEW!


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